Cruz will be there because she stars in the opening-night film, France’s Fanfan La Tulipe and Kidman is expected to be there for Dogville, a film by Denmark’s Lars Von Trier in which she stars with British actor Paul Bettany, reports USA Today.

The organisers are expecting a good contingent from Hollywood, despite the possibility of a backlash over France’s decision not to support the war in Iraq.

American director Steven Soderburgh and actress MeG Ryan are on the jury and Clint Eastwood is expected to be there for his new film Mystic River.

“There was a lot of talk at the onset of the war about people not going, but what I’m hearing is that more people have decided to show up,” Eugene Hernandez of the film newswire indiewire.com. told the newspaper.